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Rarely, focused ultrasound surgery may result in:

• Burns to the skin on your abdomen
• Damage to tissues and structures near the fibroid targeted for treatment
• Nerve stimulation causing temporary back or leg pain after the procedure
• Blood clots in your legs (deep vein thrombosis)

Other drawbacks specific to focused ultrasound surgery include:

• Less long-term data on safety and effectiveness than most other fibroid treatments
• Less data on fertility and pregnancy than with other fibroid treatments

As with many other fibroid treatments, when you have focused ultrasound surgery:

• You may have some fibroids that may not be able to be treated
• You may require further treatment if your symptoms return

An MRI uses a magnetic field to create detailed pictures of the inside of your body. Metal objects on — or in — your body may interfere with the magnetic field used during the exam, affecting the quality of the MRI and possibly causing a safety problem. The magnetic field may also damage electronic items.

• If possible, leave jewelry or metal or electronic accessories at home, as you'll be asked to leave these items in the dressing room before the procedure.
• Tell the technologist if you have any metal or electronic devices inside your body, such as metallic joint prostheses, artificial heart valves, implanted electronic devices, cochlear implants, body piercings or dental implants.

Focused ultrasound surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure in an MRI scanning room. The day of treatment you'll need to shave your lower abdomen between your pubic bone and bellybutton.

Shortly before the procedure begins, you'll:

• Have an intravenous line placed in one of your veins to inject contrast material for MRI and to give you medication for relaxation and pain
• Be offered earplugs because the internal part of the magnet produces repetitive tapping, thumping sounds and other noises
• Have special stockings to prevent blood clots put on your legs
• Have a urinary catheter inserted into your bladder to keep the bladder stable during your treatment and improve visibility of the uterus

During your treatment, MRI allows doctors to evaluate the effects and define areas that need additional treatment.

During the procedure

Treatment time varies, depending on the size and number of fibroids you have. Here's the procedure.

• You lie on your stomach on a movable table that slides into the opening of the MRI scanner. A doctor monitors you from an adjoining room and can talk to you and hear you by microphone.
• Using focused ultrasound waves (sonications), each portion of the fibroid is heated. MRI is used to monitor tissue temperature and determine if the fibroid has been heated enough to achieve the desired results. The process is repeated until most of the fibroid has reached a temperature that should destroy the tissue.
• Each sonication lasts approximately 20 to 25 seconds. Typically it takes about 80 sonications during a treatment session to destroy a fibroid. However, depending on the size and number of fibroids you have, more sonications or a second treatment may be necessary.
• Throughout the treatment, you'll be asked about your level of discomfort so that your medication can be adjusted or other necessary changes can be made.

After the procedure

You'll need a friend or family member to be with you and drive you to and from your treatment due to the medications you receive during treatment.

When you get home, you can resume your normal daily activities. Usually you'll need only over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), for discomfort.

Your body gradually and naturally absorbs the treated tissue over months and even years. This means that an ultrasound may show the fibroid still there. However, an MRI shows that the fibroid has been treated, and your symptoms reflect that improvement.

The majority of women experience significant improvement in the severity of their fibroid-related symptoms within the first six months after focused ultrasound surgery. Most researchers report that women continue to have symptom relief after three years of follow-up.